Digital light deflector

ABSTRACT

A DIGITAL LIGHT DEFLECTOR COMPRISING A CASCADE ARRANGEMENTS OF N STAGES OF A QUARTER-WAVE IRREGULAR FERROELECTRIC CRYSTAL AND A UNIT CONSTITUTED BY A UNIAXIAL BIREFRINGENT CRYSTAL CUT AT ITS OPPOSITE SURFACES WITH A SECIFIED ANGLE TO AN OPTIC AXIS THEREOF AND A QUARTER-WAVE PLATE, OPPOSITE Z SURFACES OF SAID IRREGULAR FERROELECTRIC CRYSTAL BEING PROVIDED WITH AN ELECTRICAL MEANS FOR APPLY AN ELEC-   TRIC FIELD AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE COERCIVE FIELD OF SAID CRYSTAL, IF NECESSARY, TO DEFLECT THE LIGHT BEING TRANSMITTED THROUGH SAID UNIT.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l N VE N TORS ATTORNEYS AKIO KUMADA HlRooMa KOJIMA, SADAo NOMURA AND @m7, Hnrcnalktwort f Hdl June s, 1972 .ROOM. KOJMA Em 3,661,828

DIGITAL LIGHT DEFLECTOR Filed June 12, 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (C-Ax/s) F/ 4 INVENTORS HlRooMi KozrmA, SADAo NomuRn AND Amo KUMHDF! cva-, Ard-onen() Stemrt 9 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Oihce 3,667,828 Patented June 6, 1972 U.S. (1 S50-15D na. ci. ozf 1/20 s -cwm ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A digital light deilector comprising a cascade arrangements of n stages of a quarter-wave irregular ferroelectric crystal and a unit constituted by a uniaxial birefringent crystal cut at its opposite surfaces with a specified vangle to an optic axis thereof and a quarter-wave plate,

opposite z surfaces of said irregular ferroelectric crystal being provided with an electrical means for apply an electric eld at least equal to the coercive field of said crystal, if necessary, to deilect the light being transmitted through said unit.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a digital light deiiector comprising a light modulator utilizing a crystal with a new electro-optical effect and a uniaxial birefringent crystal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of Ia conventional digital light dellector.

FIGS. 2a and 2b are schematic diagrams showing the relation between the direction of spontaneous polarization and a unit cell of an electro-optic crystal utilized as a light deector according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a part of an indicatrix ellipsoid of said electro-optical crystal.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a combination of a quarter-wave plate and an electro-optic crystal utilized in the light dellector according vto the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the light detlector according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPnoN 0F THE PRIOR ART fect and a uniaxial birefringent crystal.

For simplification of the explanation, three stages of digital light deliectors are shown in FIG. 1. In FIGS. l, 21, 2, and 2s designate crystals such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate (hereinafter referred to as KDP) which are cut at their opposite surfaces perpendicularly to the c-axis (hereinafter referred to as the c-cut plane). These crystals have such an electro-optic eect as follows. That is to say, when an electric eld is applied in the direction of their optic axis, a refraction index n for a light having a vibration plane parallel to the aand b-axes which are orthogonal to one another is given by:

n=n0(1ij-32Ebno) where no is a refractive index for an ordinary ray when an applied electric eld E=0, y is the linear electrooptic coeicient, Ez is the c-axis component of the applied electric field. 31, 3, and 33 designate uniaxial birefringent crystals respectively cut with such a slight angle to an optic axis that an ordinary ray can ltravel therein perpendicularly to its opposite cut surfaces. This cutting angle (to an optic angle 0) varies with each crystal as shown in the following table, for example:

Birefringent crystals 3 32and .33 are arranged in such a manner that the thickness between opposite surfaces of the respective crystal successively increases with a ratio of 4:2:1 (or successively decreases with a ratio of 1A :l/ l

Said crystals possessing an electro-optic effect (hereinafter referred to as electro-optic crystals) 21, 2, and 3, are provided with c-cut planes for applying a half-wave retardation voltage thereto (i.e., the voltage which is just necessary for giving a retardation of 180 to a planepolarized light having a vibration plane parallel to said aand b-axes is transmitted through the crystals). 4 indicates a binary representation of deflected light beams and 5 indicates a combination of applied voltages (half-wave retardation voltages) to each electro-optic crystal, where 1 represents the state under an applied voltage and 0 represents the state when no voltage is applied to the crystal. X1, X, and X, represent modulating voltage sources for the crystals 21, 2, and 2, respectively.

Suppose that a planepolarized light having a plane of polarization perpendicular to the paper is applied to such a light deector as mentioned above.

(l) When no modulation voltage is applied to any of y the crystals 21, 2, and 23, the applied plane-polarized light 1 goes straight on to a deected position A, and

(2) When a modulation voltage is applied to the crystal 2, only, a plane of polarization of the light transmitted from the crystal 28 rotates 90 and the plane-polarized light having such a plane of polarization is retracted in the birefringent crystal 3, and reaches a deected position B (represented by B).

Thus, each electro-optic crystal constituting a light de ilector can deliect a light to any position from A to H according to the combination of modulating voltages applied thereto. In this description, the light deector composed of three stages has been explained. More generally, a light dellector constituted by n stages can dcllect a light in any one of 2tl directions.

Then, the c-cut plate of KDP has been widely used for the above-mentioned electro-optic crystal, but requires a very high voltage of about l0 kv. for the halfwave retardation voltage. As a matter of course, in order to reduce this high voltage, it may be effective to use several crystals connected in cascade. However, such a detlector becomes large sized.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a digital light deector operating easily with a low modulation voltage.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a small-sized light dellector utilizing electro-optic crystals.

The present invention comprises a light modulator using a crystal possessing a new electro-optic etect and a quarter-wave plate, and such a uniaxial birefringent crystal as conventionally used for a light deilector.

The above-mentioned crystal with new electro-optic elect is a biaxial birefringent crystal from a erystalloptical point of view. When an electric field or a stress of more than a characteristic value of the crystal is applied to the crystal, the direction of the spontaneous polarization thereof is reversed and at the same time a u nit cell undergoes such a transformation of the lattice as a rotation of 90 around the axis c.

According to studies made by the inventors, it was found that some kinds of ferroelectrics such as KDP (potassium ldihydrogen phosphate) or molybdate gadolinium oxide (hereinafter referred to as MOG) have the property that when an electric field or a stress of more than a certain value of the ferroelectrics (hereinafter refered to as coercive eld or coercive stress) is applied to the fenroelectrics, they are transformed from one lattice state to another and at the same time the direction of the spontaneous polarization thereof is reversed as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b in contrast to the known ferroelectrics such as triglycine sulphate (hereinafter referred to as TGS), lead titanate-zirconate (hereinafter referred to as PZT), or barium titanate. Moreover, the abovementioned transition of the lattice state is equivalent to a rotation of 90 around the axis c from the crystallographical viewpoint. The inventors called such a ferroelectric crystal an irregular ferroelectric crystal.

Such a crystal as the above-mentioned KDP or MOG belongs to the point group mm2. All crystals belonging to the point group mm2 have not such a new ferroelectric property, but only the ferroelectric crystals have this property. Therefore, hereinafter a symbol for the point group imm2 will be particularly used.

The crystal belonging to the above-mentioned point group imm2 is optically a Ibiaxial and birefringent crystal. HIG. 3 shows a part of the indicatrix ellipsoid. In FIG. 3, a, or 'y indicates refractive indices of light having a vibration plane that is parallel to the axis, a, b or c respectively, and is different from one another.

In an MOG crystal belonging to the point group mm2, for example,

.=5 89.3 n11=l.84211 n1,=l.8431 and 116:1.897

As stated above, crystals belonging to the point group mm2 such as MOG are biaxial and birefringent. Consequently, if plane-polarized light is directed to a c-cut plate (cut perpendicularly to the c-axis) of such an MOG crystal with a vibration plane forming an angle of 45 with both an aand a b-axis, as shown in FIG. 3, the retardation R of light transmitted through the crystal in the direction of the c-axis is given by the formula:

Where An is the difference between the refractive indices for the vibration components of the incident planepolarized light in the direction of the aand b-axis, d is the thickness of the crystal and A is the wavelength of the incident plane-polarized light.

If such a o-cut crystal with a thickness of d is used for a quarter-wave plate (hereinafter referred to as an irregular ferroelectric element) in combination with the quarter-wave plate 8, as shown in FIG. 4, the irregular ferroelectric element being provided with transparent electrodes at its c-cut surfaces and if the retardation of the irregular ferroelectric element in a certain polarizing state is given by the formula:

where the phase difference of 1r is given by the resultant retardation of the irregular ferroelectric element and the quarterwave plate 8 so that the plane of polarization of the plane-polarized light applied parallel to the c-axis rotates 90 in order to be transmitted. Then, if a modulating voltage is applied to the irregular ferrolectric element through the above-mentioned electrodes, the axes a andb rotate 90 around the axis c so that the retardation of this element is given by the formula:

Therefore, the resultant retardation of this element and the qua-rter-wave plate becomes zero and the incident plane-polarized light can pass through without varying the state of polarization.

Further, if a thin MOG crystal with a thickness of about 300;'. is used for example, the applied voltage may be approximately v.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Some embodiments of the invention will now be described.

Example l FIG. 5 shows a light deflector according to the present invention. In FIG. 5, 21, 22 and 23, designate c-cut MOG elements with a thickness of 300g., the c-cut surfaces of which are provided with transparent electrodes 7 connected with voltage sources X1, X1 and X3 respectively through lead wires. 31, 31 and 33 designate calcites having their surfaces cut with an angle of 39 to their optic axis, with the thickness ratio of 31, 31 and 33 being 4:2: 1. 81, 81 and 83 are prior quarter-wave plates. An applied voltage to each MOG element is 170 v. A He-Ne laser light of 6328 A. radiating from a Brewsters discharge tube was utilized to operate the light deector of this embodiment.

Example 2 FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, all 81, 82 81 and 81 are prior quarterwave plates. 21, 21', 23 and 21 designate light modulators comprising MOG crystals with a thickness of a quaterwavelength, each opposite z surfaces of which are provided with transparent electrodes. 31, 31, 33 and 31 designate calcites, opposite surfaces of which are cut with an angle of 51 to their optical axis. The thicknesses of 31 and 31 are twice (or three times, four times, etc., that is, integer number of times) as much as the thicknesses of 31 and 31 respectively. 31 and 3, are arranged parallel to the optic axis O. 33 and 31 are arranged orthogonally (or at the required angle) to the optic axis of 31 and 31. Such means as mentioned above is a conventional detiector of two dimmentional four points deflecting a light beam in the directions of two orthogonal axes according to the operation of the light modulator. A polarization control means 6 and a polarization plate 7 are shown in FIG. 6. The polarization control means 6 is controlled in the same manner as in the Example l. When the number of ON" modulators among 21, 2T, 23- and 21 are odd, a light beam is deected into any one of upper eight points. At this time, if the light modulator 6 is turned on, all beams are obtained in the same plane of polarization as that of the incident beam. Thus, improvement of the signal to noise ratio, switching operation of the digital polarized beam and parity check are performed in such a manner as given in Example l.

According to the investigation made by the inventors, it has been found that some crystals among the crystals belonging to the point groups mm2, Z-I and 2-II fall within the category of the irregular ferroelectrics mentioned above.

Materials such as shown in the following Table I are known as irregular ferroelectric materials belonging to these point groups.

TABLE I Point group: Material mm2 KDP, MOG. i2-l 2-II Rochelle salt; ammonium cadmium sulphate, (NH1)gCd1(SO1)1; methyl-ammonium aluminium sulphate; dodecahydrate, (CH3NH1)A1(SO1) 3 12H10.

According to various investigations made by the inventors it has been found that MOG and its crystallographic isomorphs, that is, (RxR1 x)2Oy3Mo1 ,W,O3 (Where, R and R arev at least one element of the rare earths, x is a number of 0l.0, and e is a number of 0-1.2) show the properties that can be utilized in the present invention and belongs to the orthorhombic system of crystallography and to the point groups mm2.

Now, a crystal, (RxR1 x) 2O3-3Mo1 ,W,O3, of the MOG crystal structure employed in the present invention will be explained, hereinafter.

A method of producing a single crystal having an MOG structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,432 and the crystal structure treated by the said method is of the same a and b unit cell dimension.

The unit cell dimensions of MOG used in this invention have been determined by using an X-ray goniometer and by an X-ray diffraction method, as follows:

b=l0.426t0.005 A.

c=10.709:l:0.005 A.

AS t0 -EU2(M004)3. Tbn(M004)s, DY2(M04)s and Sm2(MoO4)3 which are isomorphous of MOG, it has been found from the measurement by an X-ray diffraction method that the unit cell dimension along the axis a is dierent from that along the axis b in all of these crystals as shown in Table II.

TABLE II Angstroms Material a b e Eu3(MoOi); 10. 377=l=0 005 10. 472i0. 005 10. 655i0. 005 Gd1(MoO4)l 10. 38810. 005 10. 42610. 005 10. 709:1;0. 005 Dy2(Mo0|)s 10. 33110. 005 10. 348:1;0. 005 l0. 603i0. 005 SIrJg(MoOa)3- 10: 47810. 005 10. 51110. 005 10. 85610. 005

Each single crystal of MOG, Sm2(MoO4)3,

E2(M004)s axes goniometer. The planes the reflected light from which was measured, were (400), (600), (800), (1000), and also (003), (004), (005.). Further, after the measurement of the reflected light, the axes a and b of the crystal were interchanged by applying an inverse electric eld in the direction of the axis c or by applying a stress in the direction of the axis c, and the crystal is made of a single domain. Then again, the intensity distribution of the light reected from planes (040), (060), (080) and (0100) was determined under the following conditions of measurement. That is, Cu-K rays from an X-ray source energized with a voltage of 30 kv. and a current of 10 ma. were directed to the crystal through a divergence slit 10 mm. wide, a scattering slit l0 mm. wide and an entrance slit 0.1 mm. wide. The scanning speed of the goniometer was V4 degree/min. and the radius of a Geiger counter used was 185 mm. Further, when the crystal was heated above the Curie temperature thereby to release it from the polled state and then cooled, it became of a multi-domainvstructure and the difference between the cell dimensions a and b became indistinct.

Some of the irregular ferroelectric crystals used in this invention are single crystals and solid solutions of chemical compounds of the MOG crystal structure. Several of them have been shown in Table'I.

The structure of such a crystal is greatly affected by the size of positive ions contained therein. If the positive ions are too large or too small, a different structure will result. The Arrhenius ion radii of ions of rare earths are as follows: Sm+: 1.00 A., Eu+3e 0.98 A., Gd+3: 0.97 A., Tb: 0.93 A. and Dy: 0.92 A. Therefore,

formed with these ion radii will have the same MOG crystal structure.

The MOG crystal used in this invention belongs to the orthorhombic system and to the point group mm2 and has a spontaneous strain Xs as follows:

A crystal having such unit dimension is remarkably affected by the polling. The MOG crystal used in this invention has the following properties:

Color: Colorless and transparent Density: 4600 kg./m.3

Point group: Orthorhombic, mm2, ferro-electric phase at temperatures below the Curie point; Tetragonal, 42 m., paraelectric phase at temperatures above the Curie point Phase transition temp.: 1621-3" C.

Melting point: 1170 C.

Cleavage plane: (110), (001) Specific dielectric constants in the direction of axes a, b

and c: Ec=10.5, EaEb=9.5 (at 20 C.) f

Spontaneous polarization:

1'86X10 m.2 direction) Spontaneous strain: 1.5 X l03 Elastic compliance:

Newton 1.4 X

Electrical resistivity: higher than 101mm. Resistivity to water and chemicals: Good Etllorescence and diliquescence: None lNow, a method of producing MOG crystal used in this invention will be described.

GdgO, of 361.8 g. and M00, of 431.7 g. were mixed to make a pellet by applying a given pressure thereto. This MOG disc was placed in a platinum melting box or on a platinum plate in an alumina melting pot to be heated at 700 C. in an electric furnace for from two to four hours. After removal from the furnace, this disc was shattered and stirred, then pressure was applied thereto again. This MOG disc was placed in the furnace with the same process as the previous one and heated at 1000" C. in the electric furnace for from two or four hours. As a result of observation by powder X-rays diffraction, this product was -found to be of MOG crystal structure.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned MOG powder was placed in a platinum melting pot to be heated and fused at approximate 1190 C. Then, a platinum wire of l mm. was soaked in the fused liquid of MOG to form a seed crystal and cooled slowly until the fused liquid solidified on the platinum, rotating it at from 30 to 60 r./min. Next, the platinum wire was pulled up at a speed of from 18 to 1.5 mm./hr. At this time, the input of the induction coil was increased until the diameter of the Coercive field:

Coercive stress:

seed crystal became approximate 1 mm. The input of the furnace was decreased until the diameter of the crystal product formed around such a seed crystal of 1 m'm. became approximate from 10 to l5 mm.. The pulling-up speed was from 18 to 1.5 mm./hr. as mentioned above and the input was controlled to keep the diameter of the crystal product in the range of from 10 to 15 mm. When the length of the crystal product became from 30 to 70 mm., the output was increased to make the crystal thin and to separate it from the fused MOG.

This separated crystal was again placed in the afterheater and cooled at the rate of from 50 to 100 C./hr. to be protected from cracking.

The MOG single crystal was thus obtained. This MOG was subjected to polling to obtain MOG of the same unit cell dimension as shown in Table 1I.

The following Table III shows some of the crystallographic isomorphs of the MOG crystal structures used in the present invention. Methods of growing single crystals of materials 2 to 50 in the Table rIII are based on the method described in the above example, wherein each reactive material is heated at a temperature below the melting point of the compound to form a solid solution. An amount of reactive material is the same as the composition formula of the second column in the Table III. Then, this compound is heated and the single crystal is pulled up from the fused material with the process described in the above example.

applying an electric teld at least equal to the coercive leld of said irregular ferroelectric crystal thereto through said electrodes.

2. A digital light deector comprising a plurality of stages constituted by a quarter-wave plate, an irregular ferroelectric crystal cut at its opposite surfaces perpendicularly to the z-axis thereof with a thickness of a quarterwavelength and a uniaxial birefringent crystal cut at its opposite surfaces with a specified angle to an optic axis, wherein said plate and said crystals are disposed in parallel to one another and the thickness of said uniaxial birefringent crystal is selected to increase or decrease with an integral ratio from one stage tothe next, and further comprising transparent electrodes on` the opposite z-planes of said respective irregular ferroelectric crystals and electrical means for applying an electric field at least equal to the cogcive field of said crystal thereto through said electr es.

3. A digital light detlector according to claim 2, wherein gadolilnium molybdate is used for an irregular ferroelectric crysta 4. A digital light deector comprising four devices constituted by a quarter-wave plate, an irregular ferroelectric crystal cut at its opposite surfaces perpendicularly to the z-axis thereof with a thickness of a quarter-wavelength and a uniaxial birefringent crystal cut at its opposite surfaces with a specified angle to an optic axis, said plate and TABLE III Reactive material (mixture ratio) Molybdste Chemical formula of single crystal part Rare earth part 5112011004); 431. 8 s111103, 348.7 E112(M0O41s 431. 8 Euros, 352.0 DyrCMOO: 431. 8 DyzOs, 373.0 TDKMOO: 833. 6 Tbroa, 748.8 (Gd,1Smo.1)r(Mo0i 431.8 G1110., 180.9; sm10.,174.3 (Gdo.sEuo.s)1(M00s 431.8 GdzOi, 180.9; EuzOa, 176. 0 (Gd.1Tb3.5)2(MoOm 431. s Gdloa, 180.9; Tblo., 187.2 (Gdo.sDYo.u)z(Mo04)s 431.8 dz s, 180.9; DyzOs, 186.5 do.uYbo.es)z(MQ04)a 431.8 GdzOs, 343.7; YbzOg, 19.7 (Gd0.Hou.s)z Mo0m 431. 8 G1120., 343.1; H010., 18.9 (Gdo.stLl1e.os)a(MoOs 431. 8 GdzOs, 313.7; 111110:, 19.9 (Gde .95Tm0.05)2(MO0! 431. 8 Gdaoa, 343.7; Tllleos, 19.3 (GdoJsSCmQKMoOOs 431. 8 GdnOs, 343.7; ScnOs, 6.9 (Gdo.o3Lo,n3)z(M00t)x 431. 8 GdaOs, 343.9; LagOg, 16.3 (Gdo I5PI0,0512(M004)3 431. 8 Gd203, 343.9; P11011, 17.0 (Gd0JYO.6)t(MOOa 431. 8 0011203, 217.0; Ynog, 90 3 (Gd.1La.)2(Mo0r 431.8 Galo., 217; Lazo., 13o 0 (Gde.aoTbn.2oDyo.2o)a(M004)a 431. 8 GdzOs, 217; DyzOx, 74.6; TbtOy. 78.8 (Gdo.1oE\1o.zoD 0.1012014001): 431. 8 GdzOr, 263.3; EugOs, 70.4; Dy203, 37.3 (GdorosmoeoT o.1o)z(M004)s 431. 8 GdrOr, 217.0; SmaOs, 69.7; Tb401, 39.4 (GdnJoEUn,2oTl10.m)1(M004)l 431. 8 Gdaog, 253.3; EllzOg, 70.4; Tb401, 39.4 (Gd0,1Y0,1La0,l)z(M004)3 431. 8 GdzOJ, 253.3; Lazos, 32.6; Ygos, 45.2 (GdaJEuo.20H0e.1nlz(M004)3 431.8 GdqOa, 253.3; EuzOa, 70.4; H0203, 37.8

(GdoJSmu.1E11o.1Y0.1)2(M0O4)! 431.8 GdzOa, 253.3, s111203, 34.9; Euros, 35.2; Yzox, 22 6 (Gdo.9sNdo.os)1(M004)s 431. 8 GdzOg, 343.7; NdeOs, 16.8 (Gdo.eTbo.aYo.1)z(MOOs 431.8 GdzOg, 217.0; Tb4O1, 78.8; YzOg, 22.6; LarOg, 32.6 Gdr(M0o.9sWo.10a(M004)a 431.8 W05, 70.0 (Smo.5El1o.5)z(M00 431 8 s111203, 174.1; EuzOs, 176.0

(Srnu.sDYo.s)2(M0O4)s 431. 8 SmzOa, 174.1; DyaOs, 186.5

(Smo.sTbn.l)1(M0O3 431.8 s111203, 174.1; Tb401, 187.5

(Smo.uYbu.us)2(M004)s 431.8 SrnzOa, 331.3;YbeO1, 18.7 (SmMsHOonDKMOO): 431. 8 s111203, 331.3; H0201, 18.9 (SmoMLl10.05)2(MOO4)s 431. 8 s111203, 331.3; 1411203, 19.9 (Smo.uTmo.s)r(MoO4)a 431. 8 SmzOs, 331.3; 1m10;, 19.3 (Smu.uSco.os)1(MO0s 431. 8 SrnrOr, 331.3; SegO, 6.9 (Smo.t5Y0.05)I(M0Ot)s 431. 8 s111101, 331.3; YzOg, 11.3 (Sm0,p0Ero,1)7(M0O4)s 431. 8 s111105, 313.4; Enos, 19.1 (Smq.uE110,gEro,l)1(M0O4)s 431. 8 s111202, 209.4; Enos, 105.4; Enos 19.1 Sm.1Tb..Y,1)z Mo0.). 431. 8 8mm., 244.0; Tino., 18.8; 1m03.321s (Sm.sEro.1Ya.1)z(M004)| 431.8 $111203, 278.9; Yaoi, 22.6; El'rOs, 19.1 (SmorDya.1Ya.05Ero.os)1(M00|)s 431. 8 SmzOs, 278.9; DyzOa, 37.3; YrOs, 11.3; Enos, 9 5 (Sl11,5Tb0 5)z(M00.00W0 \)1 38S. 6 W03, 70.0; s111103, 174.1; Tbtoy, 187.2 (Dyo.|1Lae.N)z(M0Ot)| 431. 8 DyzOs, 369.3; LaeOs, 16.3 (DYG.IIP1'0.M)1(M0O4)1 431. 8 Dyzos, 369.3; P11011. 17.0 (DYo.|sNdo.os)z(M0O4)z 431. 8 NdzOs, 16.8; I'oa, 369.3 (Dyes dn.1oH0o.1o)z(MoO4); 431. 8 DyzOn, 298.4; 010s, 37.8: NdqOs, 33.7 (Elle.|Tb0.z4Dyo.1)z(M0 431. 8 Euros, 211.2; DyzOg, 74.6; Tb4Oy, 102.4

4 (GduEllmSmoJTboJDym) (M004): 431. 8 GdzOs, 217-02 5111101, 34.9; Euros, 70.4; DyzOs, 37.3; TblOy, 39.4

said crystals arranged in parallel to one another with respect to their surfaces, wherein two groups of devices, which are respectively arranged in such a manner that thickness of said uniaxial birefringent crystals are related to one another in an integral ratio and the optical axes of We claim:

1. A digital light deector comprising a quarterwave plate, an irregular ferroelectric crystal cut at its opposite surfaces perpendicularly to the z-axis thereof with a thickness of a quarter-wavelength and a uniaxial birefringcnt crystal cut at its opposite surfaces with a specified angle to an optic axis, wherein said plate and said crystals are disposed in parallel to each other, and further comprising transparent electrodes on the opposite z-planes of said irregular ferroelectric crystal and an electrical means for said crystals are in parallel to one another, are arranged in cascade fashion in such a manner that the optical axes in one group are perpendicular to those in the other group, and further comprising transparent electrodes on the opposite z-planes of said respective irregular ferroelectric crysthrough said electrodes.

5. A digital light deflector according to claim 4, wherein gadolinium molybdate is used for said irregular ferroelec- 5 tric crystal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,499,700 3/ 1970 Harris et al 35o-DIG. 2 10 3,559,185 1/1971 Burns et al 350--157 3,329,474 7/ 1967 Harris et al 35o-DIG. 2 3,391,972 7/ 1968 Harris et al S50-DIG. 2

l OTHER REFERENCES Smith et al.: Optical Properties and Switching in Gd2(MoO4)3 Phys Lett., vol. 28A, 7 (Jan. 13, 1969), pp. $01-$02.

DAVID SCHONBERG, Primary Examiner P. R. MILLER, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

S50- 149, 157 DIG. 2 

